Re: 48\" or 60\" RFM for B7500HST
JRF,
I have used a 60" rear mower on my 16hp
B7100. It had plenty of horsepower to run the mower, even in medium tall grass.
I will point out that I felt very unsafe due to a couple of reasons. On all counts your
B7500 will be better off than my
B7100, but these concerns may be worth noting.
(1) Light front end. I had very little weight on the front end. Your
B7500 will be more stable, but as others have said, you'll want some weight on the front end, especially if you mow on hills.
(2) Light rear end. Is your
B7500 gear drive or HSD? This would be a very small problem for a HSD transmission (since speed can be controlled much better), but since my gear drive
B7100 doesn't have a live PTO, my choice was to either...
a. mow in a low gear which results in a low speed for turns,
b. mow in a medium gear and dis-engage / re-engage the clutch during turns to control the speed, or
c. mow in a medium gear and take the turns at the same speed as the straight-away speeds.
I tried option "2c." one day and will never do it again. I took a turn on a very mild downhill slope at a reasonably high speed. The mower's momentum forced the tractor to slide sideways; once the side-slip started the tractor would've most likely turned over if the rear wheels had suddenly regained traction and stopped the side-slip. I do not have fluid in my tires nor any other weights, which would've have made the situation less dangerous because the tractor may not have ever started the side-slip.
BOTTOM LINE: I think you'll be just fine with front weights and HSD transmission. Fluid in the rear tires would be a good idea also.
Hope this helps,
Kelvin
